12 significant moments in 2024 for the LANCE Trust
2024 has been a transformative year for the LANCE Trust, marked by both achievements and heartfelt memories. We said a sad farewell to founding member Sam Rogers, whose passion for nature and community inspired us all. Her memory lives on through initiatives like the LANCE Trust and the Long Ashton village market, which will continue to bring people together, for nature and community, in her honour.
This year saw us plant nearly two kms of hedgerow; launch the Long Ashton Swift Project; and work with nearly 400 volunteers in our efforts to boost local biodiversity and community engagement. We also advised on the EPIC planning challenge; contributed to biodiversity strategies and surveys; and inspired residents through a naturalistic gardening talk.
As we reflect on our progress, we are deeply grateful to our volunteers, partners and supporters for helping us make a positive impact on the nature, community and environment of Long Ashton.
Sam Rogers
We very sadly said goodbye to Sam in spring. Sam was a founding member of LANCE who holds a very special place in our hearts. She was an integral, inspirational and vibrant member of the Trust who loved working with people of all ages and abilities to help the natural world thrive. As such, she was a guiding star for many of us and we will miss her greatly, though her spirit and soul will remain with us for years to come. We wrote more about the wonderful Sam back in April and have been deeply moved by the donations to LANCE in her memory.
Cafe at the village market
In June, we ran the cafe at the Long Ashton village market. The wonderful Sam was a co-founder of the market too, so not only was the event a fundraiser for us, the day was very much in her memory and we loved sharing the day with her family, friends and the community who love and appreciated her. We raised some much-needed funds for the second half of the year and our home-baked goods went down a treat.
Long Ashton Swift project
This year saw the Long Ashton Swift Project established. The project so far has involved identifying areas/buidlings with swift nests in the village; building swift boxes; and installing them nearby. This project has required funding, volunteers and some logistical challenges, so we’re grateful to all the support we’ve received. The project was featured on BBC radio and the team enjoyed a ‘Swift walk’ with members of the community to learn more about swifts in Long Ashton. Finally, we led a session at the 2nd Long Ashton Brownies about swifts, and enjoyed their enthusiasm and creativity.
The great hedge creation project
Our flagship project this year! Planting nearly 2kms of native hedgerow in Long Ashton gave the Trust a chance to work with over 400 volunteers over a number of days as well as creating effective working relationships with Bridge Farm, Forest of Avon and North Somerset Council. We were pleased to connect with local businesses and run corporate volunteering days for the first time too. The hedge project has become a talking point within the village, and further afield, as well as boosting vital wildlife habitat linking two areas of semi-ancient/ancient woodland with a species-rich hedge that will create a wide shelter belt without parallel within the village.
The EPIC development
Unfortunately, a large portion of our time this year was spent monitoring the EPIC planning application; assessing the documents they submitted; and advising concerned residents how to structure their objections. However, we have been heartened by our community’s solidarity and shared concerns for the loss of valuable greenbelt and irreversible damage to green space. The final meeting in which North Somerset Council will consider the application was postponed from December to either January or February - we will keep you updated.
Riverfly monitoring
A few of our team of Trustees trained and qualified as Riverfly monitors this year. Each month, they head to a dedicated stream in Long Ashton and use nets to examine the fascinating array of invertebrates that indicate the water quality of a waterway. We’ve really enjoyed looking into this secret underwater world and, in 2025, will be looking for volunteers to help do more of these surveys. The data is essential and get’s passed on to the Environment Agency. Get in touch if you’re interested.
Nature Recovery Strategy and Local Plans
Throughout the year we have been connecting up government-led initiatives that span global, national and local scale. Following the international 30x30 commitments made, to protect 30% of land and sea, the UK government promoted the development of Nature Recovery Strategy Plans: regional plans aimed at restoring and connecting wildlife habitats. The West of England was the first region to submit their plan. More locally, the Trust have worked closely with the Long Ashton Parish Council on their Biodiversity Action Plan, as part of their Local Plan. A more-joined up approach, that connects national and local plans for nature and climate, is needed to make the most positive impact possible and we are working hard to facilitate that.
Naturalistic gardening talk in Long Ashton
Amanda was asked by Long Ashton Horticultural Society to talk about Owen and her wildlife-friendly garden. Using a personal history of her engagement with gardening over the years, 30 or more people were intrigued and interested in hearing more with some wanting to become involved with the Trust’s project as well as money raised for the Trust. Amanda’s fascinating talk delved into the history and benefits of naturalistic gardening, a design approach that mimics natural ecosystems to support local wildlife. She highlighted how such practices can enhance biodiversity, improve soil health, and create resilient landscapes, inspiring residents to adopt wildlife-friendly gardening techniques. Further talks have been planned for 2025.
Surveys
As in previous years, wide ranging butterfly data was collected across the parish and neighbouring areas for Big Butterfly Count with over 130 sites surveyed. This allows us to compare population fluctuations that can be compared with the national average and effective data with which to liaise with key stakeholders. Similar to 2023, several sites were surveyed for North Somerset’s Bat Survey too. The ongoing scrub survey within Fenswood Farm continues to give results that reveal how important this under-valued habitat is for wildlife and highlight species fluctuation within the parish. Riverfly monitoring in a selection of streams around Long Ashton is giving the Trust the chance to include trained volunteers in our work, raising awareness amongst residents and participation in national projects.
Read more: https://www.lancetrust.org/post/summer-butterfly-surveys-in-lark-meadow-but-where-are-they
Lark meadow
As the meadow becomes more established, perennial wild flower plants increased in both number and variety with lesser knapweed, ox-eye daisy, betony and many other species recorded. Butterfly numbers both in terms of species diversity and individuals were noticeably higher than in many other more intensively managed fields. Early in the year we experimented with strip mowing to provide shelter through the colder months. We also laid out camera traps to monitor which small mammals were using the meadow for feeding and as habitat.
Northleaze School and 2nd LA Brownies
We enjoyed working with schools and Brownies again this year. The Brownies enjoyed our sessions on both swifts, hedgehogs and the blue hearts campaign, and worked on craft projects to support all three. For Northleaze School, the Trust were pleased to have been able to negotiate outside funding from a generous donor and volunteered help to increase the wildflower meadow areas within the school grounds.
Our network
We’re particularly proud of how our network has expanded this year. Not only have we established personal connections with further farmers, landowners, and those concerned about local biodiversity - our online network has rocketed! We strive to provide helpful and important information on our website and blog, and have increased 2023’s 300 visitors to nearly a thousand (950) in 2024. We now also have 200 people subscribed to our email newsletter and 137 facebook followers. Being a small team, these digital resources are the main way we share updates, so please encourage your friends and family to connect with us too. For 2025, we’ll be setting up a Whatsapp group for volunteering on nature projects around the village.
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We’re looking forward to a positive and productive 2025. Alongside the biodiversity projects and partnerships we are running, we plan to host an evening event some time in spring, to properly introduce the Trust to the community, featuring some really inspirational speakers. Keep an eye on our newsletter and Facebook page for details. If you would like to be involved with helping us run The LANCE Trust, please do email us for more information.
Wishing everyone a happy new year!
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